Is the Shadow Lifting?

In his annual state of the nation address, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev outlined several goals for the Russian government over the next year. Several of these plans were in direct contradiction to the policies of now Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, including reducing the Russian economy's dependence on government owned enterprises.

For years Medvedev has lived under the shadow of Putin, Medvedev's predecessor. Countless political anylists said that Putin's move from president to prime minister was simply symbolic to keep within the Russian Constitution.

It is for this reason that President Medvedev's speech is so groundbreaking. Several of Medvedev's goals were in direct contradiction to Putin's policies as president. The question now is how much of the speech did Medvedev mean and how effective will he be at implementing his policies. President Medvedev's success or failure will be a good measurement of Putin's continued influence.

Many of the President's reforms are aimed at privatizing and diversifying Russia's economy. Some of these reforms include decreasing the power of state owned businesses (several of which were created by Putin), less protection for failing enterprises, and modernizing the industrial sector.

Another major reform that Medvedev focused on was corruption. Corruption is present throughout the Russian government, although there have been several steps taken to cut back the corruption. President Medvedev named several steps to reduce the corruption. Some of those steps include an increase in government transparency, making institutions more democratic, and making people more responsible whether it is in government or in business.

Overall, the next year will be an important indicator to the continued influence of Putin and to how willing the Russian government is to modernizing itself and leaving its Soviet history behind.